How to Write a Short Story

Have you ever read a magnificently written short story and said, “Wow, I wish I could write that way!”  You can, and it may not be as difficult a challenge as you think.  Creativity may be an inherited talent but creative writing can be learned.  You don’t need to be a creative genius to pen a good story.  You simply need to learn the construction of a story and then gather the motivation to write it down.  (And the courage not to throw away the paper or delete the file) 

Most experts suggest that you concentrate on writing short stories before you take on full novel-length works.  This is because short stories tend to be less complicated than novels.  Novels can encompass an entire lifetime of a character, or several lifetimes, as well as multiple points of views and numerous perspectives.  This can overwhelm a first-time author.  Thus, if you limit yourself to writing a short story you are focusing on writing one episode in a characters life.  There is no limit to what the term “episode” means—it may be a day in the life of one character or several weeks in which the same subject is discussed among numerous characters.  However, a short story will usually only focus on one incident and have a singular plot or setting. 

You can use more than one character, but the more characters you add the more information you will be cramming into this short episode.  If you have read any information on the structure of creative writing, then you may know by now that most professionally written stories consists of some basic dramatic elements: 

Exposition (introduction to the story where information about setting and situation is conveyed)

Complication (there must be some conflict that causes a strong reaction in the protagonist)

Rising Action & Crisis (suspense builds until the protagonist reaches a pivotal moment)

Climax (the highest point of action results)

Resolution (the conflict is resolved and the moral is made clear)

Now keep in mind that because you are working with a shorter piece you may have to abbreviate some standard patterns in your writing.  If you are writing a short piece then you may not have enough room to include paragraphs of exposition.  You may have to decrease the attention given to appearance, situation or setting. 

In fact, many short stories follow an entirely different structure than a novel.  The introductions are abrupt and use powerful words that capture attention quickly.  The story may not begin “at the beginning” but start in the middle of the action, so as to advance the plot at a faster pace.  However, the most important elements will still be present.  You must make sure that your story has conflict, and that complication builds up to a peak of suspense, which ends in a climactic confrontation.  Resolution then ends the story, giving the reader something to think about. 

If you feel that your story is lacking something, then reanalyze your structure.  What is happening to the protagonist internally or externally?  Who or what is the antagonist, the character or thing that affects the main character?  Think of a short story as a condensed novel, one that only has a few pages to make an all-important point.